The issue with pasta is that it tends to dry out once you put it in the fridge. So, naturally, the solution is to add liquid as you’re heating it to return the noodles and sauce to their former glory. The liquid can be whatever makes sense given the dish — water, wine, milk or cream — and you’ll want to add a tablespoon or two per serving.
To reheat the dish, consider how it was finished in the first place: either on the stove or in the oven. (Yes, you can zap it in a microwave, which I’ve certainly done in the past, but the pasta may reheat unevenly.)
- For tomato-based loose pasta dishes, such as Spaghetti With Meat Sauce, put the pasta in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add some water or wine and cook, stirring regularly, until the pasta has loosened up and is hot.
- For cream-based loose pastas, such as Fettuccine Alfredo, you’ll want do pretty much the same, but use your choice of dairy and a much gentler heat, low or medium-low, to keep the sauce from separating.
- For baked casseroles, such as Sausage, Spinach and Goat Cheese Lasagna, add a splash of liquid, cover it tightly with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.
There are a handful of dishes that you want to eat immediately as their essence is ephemeral. Spaghetti Carbonara is the first that comes to mind, with its silken sauce of eggs and cheese. As recipes editor Becky Krystal wrote, “If you have leftovers, you can frizzle it with a little butter and/or olive oil in a skillet until warmed and slightly crispy in spots, but it won’t be the same as when you first cooked it.”
All of this sage advice is based on the assumption that the pasta is already dressed and it’s not plain noodles. (Reminder: It’s always best to finish cooking pasta in a sauce.) But if you do have plain pasta that you want to reheat, you can simply give it a dip in boiling water.
